Is Kratom Legal in Italy? Penalties, Import, and Travel Checks

Kratom is not legal in Italy. Since 2016, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the two active alkaloids in Mitragyna speciosa, have sat on Table I of Italy’s controlled substances schedule, the most restrictive category in the country’s drug law.1European Union Drugs Agency. Kratom Drug Profile Possessing, buying, selling, growing, or importing it anywhere in Italy exposes you to sanctions, and the severity depends on what the authorities believe you were doing with it.

When Italy Scheduled Kratom

The Italian Ministry of Health issued a decree on August 1, 2016, updating the controlled substances tables under Presidential Decree No. 309 of 1990 (the Testo Unico on drugs). The decree was published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on August 11, 2016, and it placed mitragynine on Table I alongside substances like heroin and cocaine.2Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana. Decreto 1 Agosto 2016 – Aggiornamento delle Tabelle Contenenti l’Indicazione delle Sostanze Stupefacenti e Psicotrope

One thing worth knowing about this system: the Ministry of Health can update the tables by decree, without a vote in parliament. That means the legal status of a given substance can shift relatively quickly.

Penalties for Personal Possession

Holding kratom strictly for your own use is not a criminal offense in Italy, but it is not consequence-free either. For a Table I substance, the authorities can suspend your driving license, firearms license, passport, or residence permit for two months to one year. A first offense treated as particularly minor may draw only a formal warning.3European Union Drugs Agency. Penalties for Drug Law Offences at a Glance

Whether a given quantity counts as personal use is not fixed by a bright-line threshold. Police and prosecutors weigh the whole picture, including how the substance was packaged and what else was found with it, to decide whether the case stays administrative or moves toward trafficking charges.

Penalties for Selling, Growing, or Distributing

Anything beyond personal possession falls under the trafficking provisions. For a Table I substance, the penalty is eight to twenty years in prison plus a fine between €25,822 and €258,228.3European Union Drugs Agency. Penalties for Drug Law Offences at a Glance Those brackets apply to kratom the same way they apply to heroin or cocaine, because Table I treats the category uniformly.

Courts can move within that range based on scale. Small-scale dealing may qualify for a reduced sentence under the “minor fact” provision in the drug law; organized operations push toward the top of the range.

Bringing Kratom Into Italy

Importing kratom is treated as importing a Table I controlled substance, and it does not matter that the kratom was legal where you bought it. Italian customs enforces Italian law. The product will be seized, and depending on the amount and circumstances you can face either the administrative sanctions above or the criminal trafficking penalties.

This covers luggage, international mail, and online orders from foreign vendors alike. A package intercepted at the Italian border can trigger an investigation of the person it was addressed to. If you are traveling from a country where kratom is sold openly, such as the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, or the United States, leave it behind before you cross the border.

How to Confirm the Current Status Before You Travel

Because the Ministry of Health can reschedule substances by decree, the only reliable way to check the current law close to a trip is to look at primary sources. Two are worth knowing:

Both are free and online. Checking shortly before travel is the only way to know the status on the day you cross the border.